Nicholasville  – Billie Jo and Brett Setzer recently donated $10,000 to the Kendyl and Friends Foundation in support of an all-inclusive playground being built at City/County Park in Jessamine County.

“We are honored to support Kendyl and Friends in their mission to bring accessible playgrounds to Central Kentucky,” Setzer said “My wife Billie Jo and I have been looking for more ways to give back to our local community, to the place we call home and where we our raising our family, and this project will make a big difference for a lot of families in Nicholasville and Jessamine County.”

Phase I of the project has been fully funded with help from the Jessamine County Fiscal Court, Jessamine County / Nicholasville Parks and Recreation, the City of Nicholasville, as well as private and corporate donors. Phase II, which includes an all-inclusive splash pad, is still in the process of being funded.

Kendyl and Friends has built two all-inclusive playgrounds in Mercer County and is currently fundraising for Jessamine County phase II and for two additional campuses in Scott County and Casey County. The cost for each playground is approximately $300,000.

The playgrounds offer fully accessible flooring, inclusive play towers accessible via ramps, double-bay wheelchair swings, mirage/inclusive swings, wheelchair accessible merry-go-round, sensory/communication panels, and other adaptive, ADA, inclusive equipment.

These community playgrounds provide a safe environment for all children with mental and physical disabilities to participate in outdoor play with their peers, resulting in increased fine and gross motor skills, social skills, independence, self-esteem, cerebral functions, physical strength, receptive communications skills, coordination and balance.

“Every child deserves to play with their peers. We are dedicated to providing better, safer, and more opportunities for all persons to make them feel a part of their community,” Crimson Claycomb, founder and executive director of Kendyl and Friends Foundation, said “We are thankful for all our donors and community partners like Billie Jo and Brett who help us achieve our mission.”

Kendyl and Friends Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit, charitable, educational, and financial resource for special needs/disabled children and adults. The foundation is honored to serve and advocate for those fighting on a day to day basis with a disability, and offers many grants including those for a handicap accessible vehicle, handicap accessible conversion, handicap accessible equipment, medical, and handicap accessible playgrounds. The foundation works year-round to raise funds to continuously provide services for those in need.

Brett Construction Company was established in 1987 and has more than 30 years of commercial construction experience, including industrial, educational, institutional and commercial clients throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States. Setzer Properties is a national real estate investment and development firm with more than 28 years of experience. The firm has developed more than 5.6 million square feet of space for projects across 26 states totaling more than $532 million. Both firms are headquartered in Lexington.